How to Grow Your Own Living Food

I do a lot of sprouting and find it is a great addition to salads and even breads. They are great nutrient packed little powerhouses that can do a lot for your overall health. I just do mine in mason jars with cheese cloth for the lid. It works great and is so easy.

Here is a really informative article I found on them. Give them a try and spice up that menu plan. Your blood sugar will thank you for it and so will your taste buds!

Three big reasons why people sproutPeople sprout for three primary reasons:

Reason #1) Vegans and vegetarians sprout seeds to eat high-protein living foods which make up the bulk of their diets.

Reason #2) Surthrivalists sprout seeds to grow their own emergency foods indoors, using no soils and having a compact food storage benefit (seeds are really tiny, but they sprout into larger foods).

Reason #3) Smart consumers sprout seeds in order to save money on their grocery bill, as sprouted seeds provide high-density nutrition at a fraction of the cost of traditional superfoods.

Sprouting, in other words, is one of the few strategies used by vegans, vegetarians, survivalists, practical household moms and everybody else who wants to grow their own powerful nutrition for pennies a serving.

It's almost a form of "micro-gardening" because you're practicing small-scale agriculture right on your kitchen counter. Kinda fun, actually…

Why sprouts can keep you alive (and more…)Sometimes people joke about those who eat a lot of sprouts ("It's rabbit food!"), but the science behind sprouting is no joke. Scientifically speaking:

• Sprouts synthesize their own natural VITAMINS.

• Sprouts are high in blood-cleansing CHLOROPHYLL.

• When grown in the right water, sprouts absorb numerous MINERALS and convert them into organic, bioavailable forms for safe human consumption.

• Sprouts are LIVING food that provide enzymes and other supportive benefits to human health.

• Sprouts are HIGH PROTEIN foods that can also help maintain or even build muscle mass.

• Some types of sprouts contain ANTI-CANCER nutrients such as I3C, which are widely documented and also common in cruciferous vegetables.

The bottom line is that sprouts can give you living vitamins from plants — and this is something you can enjoy on a daily basis or during a food crisis, if that's what you reserve it for.

How to sprout for (almost) FREEI wouldn't want to live on sprouts alone, but neither would I want to live without them! For me, they are part of my daily diet of superfood smoothies (avocado chocolate smoothies, for example), quinoa lentil soups and occasional sources of high-quality free-range meats (I've been eating more quality meats since working on a ranch in Texas).

Sprouting can be as easy as placing seeds in a nut milk bag (or a sprouting bag) and soaking them every few hours to maintain their moisture. This approach, of course, requires a lot of attention to keep the seeds moist but not overly moist to the point where they start to grow mold. But it's the most affordable way to start sprouting.

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When this discussion first posted I kinda went to myself "ho hum"now I am quite intersted in this. I want to learn more about this. and in fact had done some searching online about this very subject last night.

We sprout various legumes ie lentils and various types of beans as part of our regular cuisine. The easiest way to do it is to soak them overnight and then in the morning remove water and put them in a seive. if it is dry weather put a thin muslin like cloth on the seive before you put the beans on it. depending on how long you want the sprouts you can keep them there. we generally eat them that evening. If you want to keep them for more time, then wash them lightly in water and put back in the sieve. Wash them morning, evening so that they dont stink.

We also sprout finger millet then dry it or lightly roast it to make flour. Then use this flour to make porridge kind of morning meal. Very high in calcium and I think proteins.

btw. The moong bean sprouts are very easy to digest. you can eat it with a little salt and pepper and if you like some lemon juice for taste. Really good refreshing breakfast. I will try to put photos of sprouts as well as some recipes with sprouts but these recipes involve steaming/cooking so they might not remain live food like they mention in the article.

I sprout mostly mung, lintel and some crucifers such as broccoli. I really like sprouts and I like mine to get to the little leaf stage and use them in salads, on sandwiches and such. I love alfalfa sprouts, but have not done my own yet. There is a catalog that features "sprouting" seeds in bulk. They are easy to keep. And yes, you want to rinse them at least once a day to keep them fresh.

I am thinking of micro gardening things like collards and mustard as I like them young, but not older like most people.

If you read the whole article in the link above it will offer you some different ways to sprout and lists several sprout seeds and what they offer to you. I am not sure, but imagine you can get a nut bag at a health food store or online. I have never used one or seen one.